Listeria cantaloupe outbreak third deadliest in U.S. history

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The wide distribution of cantaloupe from Colorado has made headlines, but Luke LaBorde, Penn State University, who trains agricultural producers to use safe production practices, said wide distribution of fresh foods should come as no surprise in today's world. And he doesn't think foods from far away necessarily are more risky than locally grown foods.

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Listeriosis outbreaks like the current one traced to Colorado cantaloupes are extremely rare, according to a farm food-safety expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. But Luke LaBorde, associate professor of food science, worries that melons present a heightened risk for spreading food-borne illnesses.

Listeria normally is associated with animal products such as hotdogs, ready-to-eat deli meats and raw milk, although outbreaks linked to fruits and vegetables are not unheard of. The current listeria poisoning blamed on cantaloupe now ranks as the third deadliest outbreak in U.S. history.

LaBorde remembers one other similar case. "There was an outbreak associated with cabbage grown in Nova Scotia in 1981," he said. "It was blamed on contamination from sheep manure."

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 13 people are dead and 72 sickened in 18 states in the current outbreak of listeriosis tied to contaminated cantaloupes. CDC officials said the totals are likely to rise in the still-widening outbreak, which is the deadliest in the United States in more than a decade.

Listeriosis, a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, is an important public health problem in the United States. The disease primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems. However, in rare cases, persons without any of these risk factors also can be affected. The risk may be reduced by following recommendations for safe food preparation, consumption and storage.

All of the deaths and illnesses in the current outbreak are tied to whole cantaloupes grown and shipped by Jensen Farms of Holly, Colo. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has traced the current listeriosis outbreak to Rocky Ford cantaloupes, which were packed and shipped to at least 25 states. Federal officials have detected evidence of the outbreak strains of listeria in packing houses and on equipment at the site.

While it's not yet clear exactly how the cantaloupes became contaminated, the fruit is especially susceptible because of its rough, porous skin and soft, succulent interior, LaBorde noted. "I have been saying the last few years that I worry melons are a risk for conveying disease, and I think cantaloupes, in particular, present a perfect storm for carrying pathogens that cause food-borne illness."